PSYCH 2320 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Narcissism, Donald Winnicott
Document Summary
All infants come into the world in a merger with their mothers. The goal is to development a self that is separate from others but also connected at the same time. Eventually the child comes to believe that s/he caused the things to appear, just by wishing for them (this is the crucial moment of illusion) Note that the mom serves as a diplomat for the world of human beings so that the child"s fantasies come to mirror more and more the actual things in the world. The child must experience that moment of illusion of being the center of the universe, the king of the world that is the basis of a healthy sense of self. Still, the child must cross from a world of fantasy where he is #1, perfect, etc. into a world that is scary, where he is helpless, and wishes are not changes. To provide this experience, the mother must be good enough .
